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Topic: Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Read 1586 times)

Today, the Armenian Church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Feast commemorates the events surrounding the rescue of the Holy Cross from the Persians, by the Armenians and Greeks, in or around the year 628. After the Cross was rescued, it was taken by Armenian troops through the Armenian homeland, where it was venerated and celebrated in each village and city it stopped in. It was a significant event in the life of the Armenian people and Church, and this feast day is one of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church.

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I think the rule for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is that it be the Sunday closest to the 14th of Sept.

Oh, right. From what I can tell, this is a pretty universal feast, and it seems it is celebrated by pretty much all of the "Apostolic churches" on the 14th (whether that be according to Gregorian or Julian rendering).

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I found it remarkable that you said in the Oriental churches the Feast is celebrated on the Sunday nearest to the 14th, because next year Yom Kippur will be celebrated on the 14th.

An writer on Yahoo Answers comments:

Quote

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Fast Day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is observed on September 14 in the Julian Calendar, roughly coinciding with Yom Kippur (which oscillates with respect to the Julian and Gregorian Calendars). One Orthodox priest – Rev. Patrick Reardon – argues that it is obviously derived from Yom Kippur, and that everyone realises this.http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070920212806AAM9i80

In the services of the holidays of the Cross it is often called "the purification place". "The purification/atonement place (ochistilische)" - is a special term, which means the upper part like the cover of the Ark of the Covenant, which stood in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple. And namely on this cover was poured the goat's blood that once a year the chief priest carried into the Holy of Holies. This happened annually in September on the holiday called the Day of Atonement, in Hebrew Yom Kippur... That is, the paschal lamb and this sprinkling of blood on the Day of Atonement united in the Christian Paskha. But from this couldn't happen that this September day on the calendar when the Day of Atonement was celebrated became Paskha too: therefore today [the Elevation of the Cross] is like a second Paskha.

That is, when they acquired the Cross - and this is underscored by the stories about the acquisition of the Cross that happened in the 4th century - then it was like a religious service was performed in observance of the Day of Atonement. And our Christian Paskha unites in itself 3 Old Testament holidays, namely the holiday of Paskha, the Day of Atonement, and also the holiday of Pentecost.